Stunning Stacey storms Strictly!
Former shopgirl who never danced before wins Strictly crown – and it’s 5th time lucky for her partner Kevin
SHE is the former shop assistant who had never danced before. But last night Stacey Dooley triumphed against the odds to claim the Strictly Come Dancing crown.
The documentary-maker had started out as rank outsider but defeated rivals with vast amounts of dance training.
Many viewers had objected to the controversial presence of Steps star Faye Tozer and former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts. And although both singers made it through to the final, their greater experience wasn’t enough to clinch the coveted trophy.
Luton-born Ms Dooley’s triumph was also a moment to savour for her dance partner Kevin Clifton, 36. He had never won before despite appearing in four other finals.
After their win was announced, Clifton fought back tears and described their win as a ‘Christmas miracle’. His estranged wife Karen – also a professional dancer on the show – rushed to congratulate him.
Ms Dooley then turned to Clifton and said: ‘You are patient, you are talented and you’re a second to none.’
Last night each couple performed their favourite routine of the series, a brand new showdance and also a routine chosen for them by the judges. Clifton and Ms Dooley, 31, reprised their paso doble to Malaguena by Brian Setzer, impressed with a foxtrot to Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining, and delivered a hair-raising showdance to Land Of A Thousand Dances.
Ms Dooley suffered an apparent wardrobe malfunction during the paso doble, but after uproar on social media, one member of the public tweeted: ‘Calm down Twitter. Stacey Dooley was wearing knickers.’
Sir Lenny Henry and Mary Berry joined the studio audience to cheer on the contestants and after the four judges scored each performance, the result was determined by viewers’ votes. Ms Dooley actually finished bottom of the leaderboard but her victory showed how the public had warmed to her humour and determination to improve.
Zoe Ball, presenter of Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, joked that the nation had fallen ‘Stooley madly deeply’ in love with the star. Former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips added: ‘I think the audience has fallen in love with someone who looked awkward to start with but then improved week by week.’
For YouTube vlogger Joe Sugg, 27, Ms Roberts, 37, and Ms Tozer, 43, it was a case of so near but so far in one of the most open finals in years. Ms Dooley’s win could now open up a new career in light entertainment. Celebrity agent Jonathan Shalit said: ‘Stacey already has a successful TV career but what Strictly will do is open her up to a much wider audience.’